Personality depends on the medium: differences in self-perception between social media and offline

old_uid17029
titlePersonality depends on the medium: differences in self-perception between social media and offline
start_date2018/12/13
schedule09h-10h30
onlineno
location_infoBât. 640, salle D203
summaryWe investigate self-perception in social media through the lens of personality theory. Four mixed-methods studies involving over 250 participants examine if people self-report different personality traits in social media compared with their offline traits. We first compared offline and Facebook traits, finding that on Facebook people were less Neurotic, Open and Agreeable. A second study compared offline, Facebook and Snapchat traits replicating and extending those results. Again Facebook personality was less Neurotic and less Open than offline. In contrast, Snapchat personality was more Extravert than both offline and Facebook and more Open than Facebook. Interviews indicate how personality differences arise from social media affordances. Anxiety about Audience judgments leads people to curate posts to appear less Neurotic on social media, but the transience of Snapchat promotes greater Extraversion than offline and Facebook. Further work identifies similar findings for video and texting, with participants feeling that they are less neurotic in both media than when offline. We discuss theory and design implications.
responsiblesZweigenbaum